Madrid | Issue #168
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Here is The Bubbleâs Guide to Halloween in Madrid
Good morning and happy Friday!
In another victory for Americaâs cultural imperialism soft power, Madrid has fully embraced Halloween (or Noche de Brujas, as the olds call it). No matter how much you complain, this weekend is all about people wearing slutty beautiful costumes, trick-or-treating, and handing out chuches.
Personally, Iâm delighted. Halloween is my favorite holiday (mainly because itâs an excuse to spend all of October watching Scream, Friday the 13th, and Halloween without looking like a serial killer), so Iâve worked overtime this week to bring you a pretty detailed list of stuff to do this weekend in Madrid. (Thatâs my elegant, indirect way of saying hopefully you will consider becoming a paying subscriber so I can feed my children.)
Also, full disclosure: I have no children.
Last but not least, Halloween falls on a Saturday this year (that wonât happen again until 2037!), which means your costume deserves a proper night out (not just a brief appearance on a work Zoom call). Put some thought into it!
Happy weekend!
(PS: In light of this weekâs tragic train accident, some events and celebrations have been canceled or postponed. Before heading out, double-check with the organizers for any last-minute changes. And, of course, our thoughts are with the victims and everyone affected by the tragedy.)
đ Halloween Weekend: Parties, seances, screams, music, and cemetery visits.
Alright, listen up. Madrid is offering tons of places to celebrate Halloween. There are dance floors, murder-mystery dinners, haunted attractions, and bars with palm readings. So hereâs your uber comprehensive guide to the weekend.
đȘ© Nightclubs (yes, they are still very much a thing!)
Dance to hard techno until you look like Michael Jackson (in the Thriller music video, in case that needs clarification). Blackworksâ The Purgatory takes over La Nueva Cubierta de LeganĂ©s on Oct. 30 and 31, with gothic scenery and techno music running from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. each night. Sounds cool, but itâs in LeganĂ©s, so⊠you know.
The massive Iberdrola Music venue will host Halloween Takeover on Oct. 31, with more than 12 hours of electronic music, immersive experiences, and spectacular performances across multiple stages. Itâs organized by elrow, Brunch Electronik, and Industry City x Monegros, so you canât go wrong.
đž Live Music
The Radar Joven concert series has a packed Halloween weekend featuring tons of bands youâve never heard of. Still, if you want to become a part of this city, you better start learning who they are so when they become huge you can say âI liked them better when they were not commercial.â
Friday brings BenzĂș and Elena Carat to CafĂ© La Palma at 9:30 p.m.; interrogaciĂłn amor and Amante LaffĂłn to El SĂłtano at 8:30 p.m.; Comic Sans to Moby Dick at 9 p.m.; and Supercremalleras to Siroco at 9 p.m.
On Saturday, catch Las Nietas del Charli at Galileo Galilei at noon, Korashe at CafĂ© BerlĂn at 7:30 p.m., Estela Gris and Azul Yokai at Maravillas at 9 p.m., or sĂ©lpide at Contraclub at 10 p.m.
Check them all out here.
đ§ Amusement Parks and other weird places
If youâve never been to Parque Warner (aka Warner Bros. Park), this is your perfect excuse. Not only do they have some of the coolest horror IPs (Gremlins, The Conjuring, It), but they also do some cool horror nights on Halloween night.
The amusement park in Casa de Campo and Parque Warner in San MartĂn de la Vega have their seasonal horror attractions, shows, and scare zones up and running (My pick? Parque Warner, so I can run into Pennywise or Annabelle, both of them totally misunderstood creatures).
More! Screamfield Park, in Mejorada del Campo, adds themed sets, special effects, and roaming actors. Youâll probably need to take the bus or Uber there.
For a smaller-group experience, El Sonambulista at Morata de Tajuñaâs Palacio Mac-Crohon combines a horror walkthrough with escape-room puzzles.
If youâre lazy and donât want to leave the city, the amusement park in Casa de Campo is the logical choice. Although you must admit that spending Halloween night in a sleepy little town outside the city sounds delightful (especially with this dude on the loose).
đ Restaurants with creepy food and/or experiences
Remember that brain scene from Hannibal? How about the breakfast scene from Alien? If for some weird reason youâre into that, Madrid has options for you that involve overpriced dinner experiences and quite possibly buyerâs regret. Fortunately, Halloween comes only once a year, so itâs all good.
Hard Rock Hotel Madridâs American Hard Rock Story turns Saturday dinner into a live-action Clue (called Cluedo here, for some reason), with four actors staging a murder mystery for diners to solve between courses. Hopefully the experience is better than the current season of American Horror Story, an absolute pile of garbage. (đ Hi, Ryan Murphy!)
At Arrogante, La Notte Nera combines Italian opera, masks, themed cocktails, and black pumpkin pizza.
And⊠Quintoelemento, on Teatro Kapitalâs seventh floor, offers a special lunch and dinner menu beneath its immersive dome, accompanied by projections, music, and performances.
And, and⊠Alma misteriosa at Cornamusa Cibeles takes a gentler approach tonight: live music, hundreds of candles, and a special menu.
Bon apetit! Have fun. Donât die.
đź Bars with tarot card readers and other scams miracles
Summon something stronger than a ghost (just make sure itâs not Zuul, minion of Gozer!)
In Malasaña: MĂ©dium and EsotĂ©rica, both cocktail bars on Calle del Pez, offer occult surroundings and mysterious drinks, while Cabaret SatĂĄn on Calle de los Libreros supplies red lighting and a secret-recipe cocktail revealed late at night (you try it first; Iâm fine with water, thanks).
And in Barrio de Las Letras: La SantorĂa serves its âpotionsâ among religious imagery and an altar-like bar, so itâs a great atmosphere for Halloween.
There are seasonal specials elsewhere, too:
MĂtiko serves its pisco-based El Ășltimo suspiro on Oct. 30 and 31.
Lola 09 becomes a haunted mansion with undead waiters and Bloody Marias.
Bel Mondo, Villa Capri and Circolo Popolare have a limited-edition Boo Berry cocktail.
Dani Brasserie, atop the Four Seasons (fancy!), offers a rum-based Truco o trato, plus a Halloween-themed brunch on Sunday. The biggest mystery may be how you expect to pay for it all.
đ€ Halloween Karaoke (because that can be terrifying as well)
If you grew up in the 80s as I did, then youâll probably remember the Unsolved Mysteries theme as being the most horrifying thing ever created by man. Alas, there are no lyrics to it, so maybe you can try the main theme from Killer Klowns from Outer Space? Thatâs a cult classic, right there. Google it, kids!
BAM Karaoke Box is dressing up both its Madrid venues for Halloween. The one on Luchana has a special Thriller cocktail, while the one on Recoletos challenges visitors to sing âRecuĂ©rdameâ from Coco. Personally, Iâd go with the Time Warp from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
đ Altars and other culturally interesting stuff that your white Christian grandmother probably thought were demonic back in the day
Since pretty much half of Mexico seems to live in Madrid these days, itâs no surprise that Day of the Dead altars are popping up all over town. And they are freaking beautiful, so donât miss them.
Casa de MĂ©xicoâs Altar de Muertos celebrates DĂa de Muertos and honors composer AgustĂn Lara.
Teatro FernĂĄn GĂłmez has a monumental altar dedicated to Spainâs Generation of â27.
Las Rozas Village offers an art-and-craft itinerary developed with Martha Cea, culminating in an altar honoring Mexican copper artisan AudĂłn Punzo Ăngel.
Santo Mauro also has a seasonal altar featuring black-clay skulls from Oaxaca, alongside pan de muerto and special cocktails.
Sala Alcalå 31 has put up a spectacular altar that pays tribute to legendary Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada and his iconic skeleton illustrations.
đșïž Take some creepy tours and investigate Madridâs darker side
Take one of the guided nighttime walks through Madrid de los Austrias and Barrio de las Letras, where you can explore historic crimes, legends, and mysterious incidents. (Itâs in Spanish, so you better learn).
Further afield, ChapinerĂaâs Leyendas y Tradiciones walk looks at Samhain (pronounced Sow-en, donât look stupid like Dr. Sam Loomis in Halloween II) and local customs.
Itâs a chance for you to discover that your usual tapas/drinks route has considerably more backstory than you realized.
đ Book-related stuff
For people who
pretendlike to read, Books & Cups (a book club) meets at NUGA Castellana on Saturday morning to discuss Layla MartĂnezâs horror novel Carcoma, accompanied by brunch from Monster Sushi. Read the book first (or at least get ChatGPT to summarize it) because the croissants are not part of the discussion.
đŹ Binge-eating Halloween-related candy and other unhealthy (but delicious) food
Going through an anti-social phase? (Honestly, who isnât these days?) Fret not, fellow reader; I have some pretty awesome recommendations for you.
First, letâs start with the more traditionally Spanish stuff. Halloween is the perfect excuse to indulge in huesos de santo (aka saintâs bones, marzipan sweets usually filled with egg-yolk cream) and buñuelos de viento (fluffy, deep-fried pastries filled with cream, chocolate, or custard that are apparently called nunâs puffs and originally from France). Both are staples of Spain's All Saints' Day celebrations, and legend has it that every buñuelo you eat saves a soul from Purgatory. (So⊠you go to purgatory, and all it takes for you to get into heaven is some rando eating pastry? God really does work in mysterious ways). Anyway, you can find the pastries at Madrid's traditional artisan bakeries.
Pick up chocolate cakes, monster brownies, and spider cookies from Dulxioso in ChamberĂ.
Try pan de muerto (where my Mexicans at đ ?) at Itama, Bakan, or Comadre.
There are Halloween chocolate packs from Trapa, pumpkin drinks and treats from Supernormal, and a seasonal pumpkin beer from La Sagra.
đ± What to watch this weekend if youâre into classic Spanish horrorâŠ
đș Movie: The Orphanage (El Orfanato) | 2007
đWhere to watch: Netflix
âWhatâs it about: A woman brings her family back to her childhood home on the northern coast of Spain, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend.
đ€© Why you should watch: Because itâs a beautifully crafted Spanish ghost story that delivers true scares and a plot twist that you will never see coming.
đŹ English Subtitles: No
đș Movie: Rec | 2007
đWhere to watch: Amazon Prime
âWhatâs it about: A television reporter and a cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building in downtown Barcelona and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying. 28 Days Later meets The Blair Witch Project (Google them, kids!)
đ€© Why you should watch: Because itâs probably one of the scariest movies ever made. It became a global phenomenon and spawned three sequels and an American remake titled Quarantine (which sucked). Get ready to scream.
đŹ English Subtitles: No
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đœ The Spanish multiverse (or what happens when AI imagines these four women, who are political enemies, hanging out)
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